Nothing is more humbling than to look with a strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and articulated and striped with the same care and imagination.
~Rudolf Arnheim
A view of the the native plant jungle that is our yard…there really is a walkway to the door, I promise (click photos to enlarge)
I’m blaming it on our month-long trip out West back in May. At least that’s what I will tell anyone that wonders why our yard is so, well, jungle-like. Over the years, I’ve kind of let plants do what they wanted to do, in violation of most standard gardening practices. There are tall Joe-Pye-Weeds in front of shorter plants, a couple of species of ferns have run amok and taken over large portions of beds, and the tree canopy has grown so much that most wildflowers are abnormally tall and leggy and therefore often fall over without adding plant supports. But, it helps keep the invasives, especially Microstegium, at bay (a little). And then there are the rabbits that like to munch on the species I truly prize (like Cardinal Flower and Rosinweed), so the garden definitely has a mind of its own in terms of species make-up and arrangement. But, it provides food and shelter for a pretty amazing array of creatures, big and small, that keep me company when I wander with my camera. The past few days, I have not had much energy for yard chores due to the heat (another reason it looks this way) but I have managed to stroll through the jungle, looking for some of our tiniest of neighbors.
On of the reasons we have so many insect and spider neighbors is the abundance of native plants like this Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), a favorite of both day and night-time pollinators.
Below are some of the small things we see on our meanders through the greenery…
One of the most abundant group of insects right now are the planthoppers. I believe this is a nymph of a Northern Flatid Planthopper, Flatormenis proxima. The waxy filaments may serve a protective function.An adult Northern Flatid Planthopper. Most planthoppers (and other members of the Hemipiteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha) have piercing-sucking mouthparts for feeding on plant sap. They also have powerful legs for jumping, making some rather difficult to photograph.Another common planthopper species in our yard, the Citrus Flatid Planthopper (the adult in lower right of image). The nymph above it may be a Two-striped Planthopper.The SEEK app identifies this as a Two-striped Planthopper nymph, Acanalonia bivittata. It looks to me like some sort of armored creature from a Star Wars movie.A very tiny insect that SEEK identifies as a Coppery Leafhopper, Jikradia olitoria. I tried to confirm these ID’s using online resources like Bug Guide and the Hoppers of North Carolina, but if anyone knows what they are for sure, please let me know.A very persistent mating pair of Versute Sharpshooters, Graphocephala versuta.A beautiful Broad-headed Sharpshooter, Oncometopia orbona. Sharpshooters filter huge amounts of liquid from plants through their digestive system in order to obtain nutrients. They frequently must forcibly eject the excess water in a fine stream, hence their unusual common name.One of my favorite insects to photograph, a wandering Red-headed Bush Cricket (aka Handsome Trig) nymph, Phyllopalpus pulchellus. A tiny nymph of one of the Lesser Meadow Katydids (Conocephalus sp) sprouts an impressive pair of antenna.One of the bigger challenges for a macro photograph, a species of quick-on-its-feet-and-wings Long-legged Fly. These come in a variety of metallic colors and often jump out of the frame when the flash goes off and then return to the leaf. I discovered this when I kept getting blank photos but they were still on the leaf when I looked after taking the picture.A common small moth that I frequently scare up when walking through the yard, a Double-banded Grass Veneer, Crambus agitatellus.These little dots of debris are very common right now. They slowly waddle along the vegetation, and cause you to do a double-take when you see that lichen or that tuft of fuzz move..Beneath all that debris is a voracious predator of small insects, especially aphids and planthoppers, a larval form of one of the species of Green Lacewing. They have spines on their back that they attach material like lichens or the waxy remains of their victims (like planthopper nymphs) to as camouflage. Check out those mandibles on this one!A tiny Crab Spider (perhaps a White-banded Crab Spider) awaits its next meal on the head of a Purple ConeflowerAnother tiny predator is fairly abundant this week, a Spined Assassin Bug, Sinea sp. This aptly named little terror is covered with stout spines and has huge raptorial front legs it uses to grasp prey.Once it catches an insect (in this case a hapless ant), it pierces it with its needle-like proboscis, injects a toxin and a digestive enzyme, and then sucks out the nutrients. This one also had a Freeloader Fly (tiny winged insect on the ant’s head) along to lap up any spilled juices.
Wow, bugs and more bugs. You must see this one. LY!!
On Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 9:17 AM Roads End Naturalist wrote:
> roadsendnaturalist posted: ” Nothing is more humbling than to look with a > strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only > the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and > articulated and striped with the same care and imagination. ~R” >
I love all the hoppers, for sure, and the bush crickets are showing up in our yard now, too. Thanks for all these great photos. It really is the little things that make life worthwhile đŸ™‚
I agree. I need to bring my camera over to your pollinator paradise one day and take some pics. You will have a great diversity with all your native plants (and sun!).
You’ve really outdone yourself this time and that’s saying something, after your Western jaunt! The quote at the head is so apt and the photos illustrate it perfectly.
My tiny city lot is gradually becoming a haven for pollinators and invertebrates of all sorts, so this is very inspiring. Thank you!
I will never look at my yard in the same way again. Now I will have to keep a magnifier in my pocket. I do love seeing the wonderful variety of dragonflies surrounding my deck. Thank you Mike.
Roads End Naturalist 
Wow, bugs and more bugs. You must see this one. LY!!
On Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 9:17 AM Roads End Naturalist wrote:
> roadsendnaturalist posted: ” Nothing is more humbling than to look with a > strong magnifying glass at an insect so tiny that the naked eye sees only > the barest speck and to discover that nevertheless it is sculpted and > articulated and striped with the same care and imagination. ~R” >
I love all the hoppers, for sure, and the bush crickets are showing up in our yard now, too. Thanks for all these great photos. It really is the little things that make life worthwhile đŸ™‚
I agree. I need to bring my camera over to your pollinator paradise one day and take some pics. You will have a great diversity with all your native plants (and sun!).
Any time, of course.
You’ve really outdone yourself this time and that’s saying something, after your Western jaunt! The quote at the head is so apt and the photos illustrate it perfectly.
My tiny city lot is gradually becoming a haven for pollinators and invertebrates of all sorts, so this is very inspiring. Thank you!
Thank you, Merrilee…and good luck with the pollinators on your lot. Every little bit helps!
I will never look at my yard in the same way again. Now I will have to keep a magnifier in my pocket. I do love seeing the wonderful variety of dragonflies surrounding my deck. Thank you Mike.
Thanks, Maja. Dragonflies are the best!